Louis Braille: Letters You Can Feel
He was blind at five, but he wanted to read books. At fifteen, he invented letters you can feel. Learn five easy English words with the true story of Louis Braille.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
He was blind at five.
He wanted to books.
So, at fifteen, he you can feel.
This is the story of Louis Braille.
Hello, and welcome to Bright Lives English.
Real stories. Real English.
Today's level is A1.
In this story, listen for five new words.
. A is a very small, round mark.
Every was a group of .
. A is one of the five long parts of your hand.
He with his .
. When you something, you make a new thing for the first time.
The past is .
He a new .
. A is one sign in a word.
The word cat has three .
The in the books were very big.
. When you , you understand the words on a page.
Today, blind people all over the world braille.
Now, one pattern: was and were.
They are the past of is and are.
He is ten.
He was ten.
The are small.
The were small.
And in the story: he was only fifteen.
Ready? Let's begin.
Louis Braille was born in France in 1809.
His father had a workshop.
At three, Louis hurt his eye with a .
Soon, both his eyes were sick.
At five, Louis was blind.
But he was a clever boy.
He wanted to and learn.
At ten, Louis went to a school in Paris.
The in the books were very big.
He with his .
It was very slow.
A man from the army came to the school.
He showed a code of .
But it was too big and hard.
In 1824, Louis was only fifteen.
He a new .
Every was a group of .
The were small.
Later, Louis was a teacher at the school.
He died in 1852.
Today, blind people all over the world braille with their .
Let's review. Every was a group of .
He with his .
He a new .
The in the books were very big.
Today, blind people all over the world braille.
And remember: he was only fifteen.
Louis Braille's story teaches us: when something is hard, find a new way.
Want more practice?
Go to brightlivesenglish.com for flashcards, a worksheet and a quiz.
Please subscribe. See you in the next true story!
Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
dot noun
a very small, round mark
“Every letter was a group of dots.”
finger noun
one of the five long parts of your hand
“He read with his fingers.”
invent verb
to make a new thing for the first time (past: invented)
“He invented a new alphabet.”
letter noun
one sign in a word, like A, B or C
“The word cat has three letters.”
read verb
to look at words and understand them (past: read)
“Today, blind people all over the world read braille.”
tool noun
a thing you hold in your hand to make or fix something
“At three, Louis hurt his eye with a tool.”
alphabet noun
all the letters of a language, in order
“He invented a new alphabet.”
raised adjective
higher than the surface around it, so you can feel it
“He showed a code of raised dots.”
Grammar in the story
was / were
We use it for: the past of is and are
- is → was
- are → were
- I / he / she / it → was
- you / we / they → were
From the story
- He was only fifteen.
- The dots were small.
Find it in the story 21 times
Your turn
At five, Louis blind.
The letters in the books very big.
In 1824, Louis only fifteen.
Step 4
Story Challenge
9 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
Well done!
Look at these again
This week's top 10
Resets every MondayNo scores yet this week. Be the first!
Lesson complete!
- 0/4steps
- 0/8words learned
- 0/3stars
Up next
Loading your next story…
Take it further
Before you watch: Close your eyes and touch this page, a book or your phone. Can you “read” anything with your fingers?
After you watch: Say three sentences about Louis with was or were. For example: He was ten. The letters were big.
Think about it: Louis found a new way when reading was hard. What is hard for you in English? What is one new way to try?
